Everything I Love About The Empire Strikes Back

Here is everything I think is great about Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back! One of the best Star Wars movies that exists. Nay, one of the best MOVIES ever made! Let's celebrate it!
---
Subscribe for more Star Wars videos every day!
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @starwarsexplained
Support the channel: / starwarsexplain
Tiktok: / starwarsexplain
Instagram: / starwarsexplained
Twitter: / starwarsexplain
Second channel: / @malexclips
Facebook: / starwarsexplained
Discord: / discord
Star Wars Tees: shrsl.com/?~9i83
Thumbnails by: / bryaneward
Mailing Address
Star Wars Explained
1227 Rockbridge Rd SW
Ste 208 PMB 264
Stone Mountain, GA 30087

[@dylanm6335]

I love how positive you are, it’s great to hear Star Wars fans talk about everything they love instead of what they don’t like

[@promaxmedia8546]

You said it buddy, I completely agree. I enjoy a good debate over Star Wars but these days there’s no fun in it anymore with how defensive and hateful people can be

[@NowWeAreAllGames]

I love how your way of thinking about this movie and its themes are inseparably intertwined with conversations you had with your dad about it as a kid. That kind of thing is a huge part of how we interact with these stories. it's not an "objective" view of the movie but it's undeniably a real and important one

[@IceSpoon]

I think one of the reasons why these movies are so deeply wired into my core, it's because my dad used to tell me "I love you, my padawan" and stuff like that. With all of his failures, mistakes and undoings, his love for Star Wars and his love for me (represented in being part of the same sentence) is something I always cherish on him.

[@ichigen511]

Dude your comment/observation on how Luke used a new force move (telekinesis) in the wampa's cave and how modern fans are still struggling with the idea that a new force power can be introduced without precedence is one of the most brilliant and insightful observations I have ever hear anyone say about Star Wars. you love this galaxy like I do. thank you for that. Edit: your reference to how BDW commented that Lando kept everyone alive just gave me a new insight into that brilliant character...

[@trevorhensley3185]

Alex, your dad is very wise. Very moral. He raised you right.

[@Lassiter737]

For those of us that watched this movie in the theater in 1980 and hearing the entire theater gasp when Vader told Luke that he was his father was what made me really love this movie.

[@user-kq7rf6uq4m]

I very rarely have interest in the nostalgia of other generations but I really wish I could've been there when Star Wars was first released so I could've experienced how revolutionary it was. I would've loved to see how much it changed pop culture and eventually modern culture as a whole. One of the few moments that genuinely shifted culture all by itself.

[@millerscuba1]

I really appreciate the "Everything I Love About..." series. There are so many "What's Wrong With..." videos that pick the movies apart that it kind of taints people's impressions. Thank you for making them. Keep up the great work!

[@crazyjedi5994]

Luke’s frozen feet is probably a remnant of the first draft of the movie, where wampas could freeze things they touched.

[@SpideySense62]

Love that Leia can hear Luke when he's hanging from cloud city, and it's not explained how until Jedi really. It was a hint that she had an ability no one else had.

[@Compucles]

There was also Yoda's line of "No, there is another." that introduced a mystery subplot that ultimately led to the same reveal.

[@markymarkthemag]

I saw Star Wars for the first time when the special editions came out in 1997, I was three and I remember all three movies vividly! It started me on a life long journey of Star Wars obsession and I regret nothing

[@ryanpacker72]

I love the joy you bring to celebrating Star Wars - this is the way!

[@LostWarriorPoet]

One of the best films of all time. Every frame is iconic in some way. 👊

[@hunterkiller1440]

This was my introduction to Star Wars. I thought it was just nostalgia why it was my favorite but upon analyzing it, I realized it's more than just nostalgia.

[@PrincessOzaline]

I do think Piet surviving was implied by Empire, when Vader leaves the the bridge Piett think's he's gonna die but Vader just has other stuff on his mind, and I think maybe recognized that Piett did deactivate the hyperdrive so it wasn't actually his fault

[@squidwardtortellini2827]

I love hearing vader say "apology accepted captain needa"

[@shaungregory8907]

It's funny now looking back at the scenes of the asteroid feild and knowing that the majority of the rocks were actually potatoes

[@ormapa1206]

OMG I had no idea about the conversation about flooding Leia's room between R2-D2 and C-3PO

[@myriadmediamusings]

As a kid watching Empire in the 90s, I did not give a flying piss about this one, which I look back on as one of my many youthful stupid decisions. I felt Cloud City was the only interesting location, didnt like the Battle of Hoth, didnt care for Yoda, and was disappointed by the ending. In other words I was a stupid dumb stupid kid who only cared about action and effects and heroes always winning against uncomplicated odds. Nowadays of course I’ve seen the light and am aware and appreciative of how good and influential Empire is. While personally A New Hope will by my favorite of all the movies, critically it is Empire Strikes Back.

[@inthert8118]

Ha! I had even less reasoning for preferring the other two movies as a kid, the X-wing's S-foils didn't open! Why have that cool ship but not show it's coolest design feature haha.

[@RCScorch]

He’s controlling the turret with the datapad

[@astrocohorsclub]

One of my favorite scenes is when Han ist about to be frozen in carbonite and Chewbacca starts getting mad, Boba Fett raises his gun and Vader is actively pushing it down, preventing Fett from shooting at Chewbacca. That little nod has no explanation within the movies at the time, but I like the implication through the prequels that Vader wanted to avoid C3PO getting accidentally shot.

[@DarthMomo]

I'm probably the only one in the crowd but I can't wait till you do Phantom Menace

[@mattslenk]

It’s been years since I’ve watched the original trilogy. This makes me want to watch empire again. Thank-you

[@DarthMomo]

Leia sensing Luke is my hands down favorite moment from this movie

[@javierservigon]

George Lucas explained why Piett didn't get choked. Turns out Vader was so upset that Luke had escaped that he forgot.

[@MCLegoboy]

Dude, I love the Executor, too! It's my favorite ship in all of Star Wars because it is just this gigantic thing that dwarfs the Star Destroyers. And while I think the First Order is a bit over the top in their design, and I still find it unbelievable they could fund their "bigger and badder is better" mentality, the Supremacy does a pretty decent job at following up the Executor for gigantic ships. Still the Executor is the coolest thing to me because they practically had a city on top of a giant Star Destroyer and it has these massive red engines to contrast with the blue of the other Imperial ships. I also really like Yoda's talk to Luke about size. As a kid, I was always the shortest in my class, I was always the smallest, I was the last kid to get picked for sports, but then you have Yoda saying, "Size matters not. Look at me, judge me by my size do you? And where you should not! For my ally is The Force, and a powerful ally it is." If Yoda can do what someone twice his size can't, then I was always going to give my all. And finally, there's something I used to never notice, but now I always do because someone on KZbin pointed it out. Right after he gets struck on the shoulder, Vader gives out this guttural yell as he cuts down whatever those pipes are as Luke goes off onto the edge of everything. I love it. I'm just imagining what that recording session was like for James Earl Jones. Ben Burtt's there saying, "We're gonna improvise some grunts during the lightsaber fight," and you now it's really good because it's James Earl Jones, but then, "Hey, after he gets hit on the shoulder, give us some kind of primal growl as Vader cuts those pipes." "Eagh! Guurrrraaaah!" It just sounds so wild with the subtle manipulation done to create Vader's voice.

[@equimanthorn6185]

The Probe Droid has won my heart ever since I've watched Empire for the first time

[@jamma.77]

23:54 I was watching the clip of them escaping Cloud City the other day, and I noticed that there's still smoke coming from R2's dome as he's trying to unlock the door to the landing pad.

[@justmutantjed]

2:37 - Wait. You mean to tell me that that one room in the first mission of _Shadows of the Empire_ on the N64 is a reference to something that was removed from the original script for ESB? Dude that's *BANANAS.*

[@anthonyc7635]

I also like to think that the cave vision was a early hint that Luke is related to Vader.

[@themadladorian4364]

What else could it be ?

[@anthonyc7635]

Love you profile pick of the mandalorian in ronin armor

[@lettuceman306]

I always thought the Probe Droids were saying "Nannanafantna"

[@DougWilliams06]

I was at swcc and Billie Dee’s comment was legendary. I never see anyone comment that the cloud cars at Bespin shooting at the falcon and telling them they couldn’t land was Lando trying to keep Han and chewie away from trouble.

[@StarWarsExplained]

I’ve never heard that theory but I love it!

[@orinanime]

I also love the probe Droid and the sounds they make. And loved imitating them as well. I don't know why but it seems like almost every Star Wars fans loves to imitate the sound of a probe Droid

[@commandereddy]

Bossk's Toe time

[@geetadhumane5793]

ummmmm...."every damn thing" about that movie !!!!!!! Greatest film ever made!

[@Ulyssestnt]

Dude,I lived in both the capital and the second largest city,you pass Hoth(Finse) when you take a 10 hour train voyage from one to the other when it passes over the highest mountains in the inland. It still feels exotic to me,its like its otherwordly. Come over here and Ill take you guys there on a daytrip or a weekend trip ,my pleasure. I think they have a little star wars museum now and theres a 501. chapter that makes trips there..nobody lives there and there are no roads leading there which is crazy to a street rat like me

[@knifeprty6219]

Hmm no youngling, we had snow back in 1980, and we'd seen plenty of it in plenty of movies already. But I love Empire, I was 4 when my Dad took me to see a double bill of Star Wars and Empire at the local cinema. My Dad fell asleep, a long time for a 4 year old to sit still but I loved every minute of it !

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Thank you, Alex! 💫

[@JackIntoGaming4721]

I'll admit it; While George Lucas may not have been; The best Dialog writer but a world builder and story teller. He got a A in my book, I personally enjoyed the Og trilogy and even the Prequels. I gotta agree about not explaining everything and just using context clues for some stuff. Cause well not everything needs a explanation specially right away.

[@Oangulo6952]

My new favorite video! ☺️ Thanks Alex!

[@angieh5453]

Wait! Does Luke have BUBBLE WRAP on his shoulder strap at 8:20?? Never noticed that before. Very resourceful costume design 👌🏽

[@thesharpercoder]

I loved seeing the Falcon doing space turns, aka Immelmann.

[@gabriel.skywalker44]

This movie is absolutely amazing

[@brixenlang3207]

27:37 minutes long video? _Impossible, perhaps the archives are incomplete_

[@khronokraze]

Have to agree on all points. It's still my favorite of all of the main 9 Skywalker saga movies. It is probably the one with my favorite movie poster art. Which is your favorite SW movie poster art?

[@suppehai]

Yes all that snow is not so rare for me, am from Norway, I have bean there they filmed it

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Dang it, now I want to watch Empire.

[@Moochtv]

3:01 I like to think that the wampa 's 'ice breath' froze lukes boots to roof of cave to hang him so he cab drain blood quicker later. Providing the clot doesn't eat the rebel fatigues! Blurgh! ;)

[@ThePieryves]

Nice! Please do the other movies as well!

[@OldBrownWookiee]

“Empire had the better ending. I mean Luke get his hands cut off, finds out Vaders his father and Han gets frozen and gets taken away by Boba Fett. I mean, that's what life is, a series of down endings. All "Jedi" had was a bunch of Muppets. “. ESB will always be my favorite as it was the first one I saw in Theaters as a kid. Love this video!

[@grie_vous9726]

You know the movie is great when a video like this is 27 minutes long.

[@commandertac2697]

Great video man I love this movie

[@wwb16]

i love pretty much...EVERYTHING about it

[@sergiocasillas7572]

40 years and people still hating on rare force abillities, love you ste

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Love everything about this movie. Especially the soundtrack.😛👍

[@joshknoll5172]

You are mixing up your Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner films. It's actually in "Romancing the Stone" that a character gets his hand bitten off by a crocodile and not "The Jewel of the Nile." Remember Douglas has hidden the gem inside his pants and slides it down to his boot. His kicks the diamond and the villain catches it and a second later a giant crocodile roars out of the water and chomps down on his hand.

[@Fork1]

As much as I love Ian Mcdiarmid, I prefer the original actors performance. It had a better flow, even if the continuity is less good!

[@simmyjester]

17:22 That image reminds me a lot of Rey.

[@Rogue_Culture]

Definitely my favorite star wars movie and in my top 3 movies of all time. Great video Alex.

[@PsychoStreak]

Well, what i can tell you from 7 year old me's recollection of seeing Empire, it was bigger, but honestly, the differences in Vader weren't super apparent - no freeze frame, so there really weren't any lingering looks. I do recall not liking Han & Leia together, as I thought it was a more fun pairing with Leia and Luke. Obviously this was before the whole siblings thing killed that idea. As for the camera shots of the Falcon and all the ships, recall that Star Wars had spawned a bunch of other things since then. Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers and yes, Star Trek the Motion Picture got made because of Star Wars success. So we'd gotten to see the improvements in model capture for a couple of years, with Empire tossing in all the things they'd learned. Lando of course was too smooth for his own good, and I don't think anybody thought of Yoda as anything but another character. I saw the non SE version in the theater, so the Emperor looked MUCH different, and if anything was much creepier looking. Luke vs Vader in Cloud city was great, as were some of the Dagobah scenes. Overall I did enjoy it, but not as much as ANH or ROTJ, and while my appreciation for it has grown over the years, it's still not my favorite.

[@danield1262]

You should watch Adywans fanedit ESB Revisited. Makes an already perfect movie even more so. A must see for any starwars fan

[@BeskarDevil]

*sees runtime* This video is too short

[@geosword6]

Excellent. I enjoyed this video.

[@thebavariansidonithano9050]

Honestly, when I was younger, the escape from the Space-Slug and Luke cutting off Vader's helmet scared me crazy, because even when I escaped these creatures multiple times, they never devoured my ship! I don't have the best memories with Star Destroyers, but I love the Executor!

[@ronjon7942]

I only saw Empire once, as a kid; totally forgot the Executor was introduced in it. I think, 40yrs later, I could give it another go.

[@orinanime]

I would love to see another one of these videos for Return of the Jedi. Heck I would like to see this kind of video for all the movies and various entries in the franchise. And Everything I Love About Shadows of the Empire video would be amazing

[@evanlewis3328]

Great video!

[@rhob2422]

I always wondered if the scene where Vader turns around and Veers is right in his face was a mistake and they just acted through it, its so abrupt and awkward.

[@andiparker3733]

I Still believe that Admiral Piett not being force choked at the end is Vader's beginning of his redemption... it's only a glimmer... but it's there..

[@IsaacKuo]

I'll have to rewatch it, but I think it's actually just that Vader no longer needed to keep his plans secret from the Emperor. Before RotJ retconned things, Darth Vader really was planning on overthrowing the Emperor to rule the galaxy alongside his biological son Luke. At the start of the movie, he had been secretly searching for Luke for some time, although we're not told why. The reason Vader capriciously slays his underlings was to keep them terrorized - to keep them from asking too many questions about the reasons for his orders. However, in the middle of the movie things change. Darth Vader has a fateful call with the Emperor, where the Emperor reveals that he has detected a threat. Darth Vader thinks he's about to get force choked to death. However, the Emperor inadvertently reveals he does NOT know Luke's true father by referring to him as the "Son of Skywalker". (Before RotJ, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were two different people.) Darth Vader keeps his cool and tricks the Emperor into ordering him to seek out Luke Skywalker to turn him to the Dark Side rather than to simply kill him. With this change, Darth Vader no longer needs to be secret about his plans to find Luke Skywalker. That part of his schemes is now out in the open, thanks to him tricking the Emperor. He's still keeping secret the fact that he's Luke's biological son, and of course he's not telling anyone else his scheme to overthrow the Emperor. But keeping those secrets doesn't require terrorizing his underlings.

[@daniels.149]

My Dad Told me the story of his experience watching empire strikes back

[@eileendolan6301]

As cool as Boba Fett is, I've always liked Bossk so much more. I was so excited to him on Jaba's ship the first time I played Dark Forces when I was 8, and I used the concussion rifle constantly from that point out even though I ended up killing myself so many times with it.

[@mikeor-]

When they were filming the scene, George Lucas asked everyone on the cast and crew to leave the room. Only he and Irvin Kreshner were on set, filming Mark Hamill and David Prowse. David Prowse was deliberately given a script with the false revelatory line: "You don't know the truth. Obi-Wan killed your father." Mark Hamill was not told of the twist until moments before the scene was shot, and James Earl Jones did not know about the reveal until he was asked to overdub the true line: "No, I am your father."

[@djorankeil]

One of the things about 'logic' in fantasy and sci-fi is that it's already illogical but explained by the mere fact that we DON'T KNOW. I think there are limits, like icepick gripping blades which I will NEVER not be mad about, but it's entirely reasonable to assume that there IS an internal logic to what happens on screen. We don't know how anti-gravity works, let alone whatever possible reasons there might be for grappling hooks on airspeeders, walking battle machines on monohabitat planets, breathable atmospheres inside space worms... So as long as it's not something so utterly ridiculous and outside any possible in universe rationale, it should just generally be assumed to have some sort of logic to it that we just don't know. Unless it's reverse wielding weapons.

[@Jedi_Spartan]

5:07 So... does any expanded content post RotJ (Legends or Canon) ever reference that or is it just Lego Skywalker Saga that does?

[@elwizschold]

To me it is the best SW movie, and in my top 3 of movies of all times.

[@themaxreboexperience5221]

I think that’s a monitor lizard and not an iguana on Degobah

[@andrewmurray1550]

moving pieces....the only thing actually moving was the motion control camera to get all those shots.

[@EdwardZhou_TJOL56]

Is this a reupload? Or am I just misremembering previous “everything I love” videos?

[@marksenior6101]

Scan the defender. 😂

[@dtdimeflicks6708]

Cheers for Veers 🍻!

[@joegrillo5157]

I love Molly And you You’re Chemistry Is amazing- I hope to be friends with y’all eventually! I love your insight I was born in 1980 so I’m a true old Fan Both of you - keep up The greet work ! Love Joe

[@dukeon]

Great video. Best movie ever.

[@Cheetowitcheese]

Can we get these episodes on the podcast?

[@elwizschold]

The biggest debate born out of Empire seems to be "do you pronounce it AT-AT or AT-AT?"

[@pear92]

For a while, this was my favorite movie in the saga. Then Rogue One came along, but Empire is still one of my top favorites. (Things get mixed up a bit when you introduce series)

[@stop-motionstormtroopers8054]

Rogue One is also my favorite

[@philrm99]

👌Perfect moments.

[@IsaacKuo]

I'm sad that people don't understand The Empire Strikes Back anymore ... not since Return of the Jedi retconned Darth Vader's identity and people seem to have just collectively forgotten the brilliance of ESB's original writing. Darth Vader isn't toying with Luke in their "fight". He's not even fighting. He's trying to determine what Obi-Wan did or didn't tell Luke. His goal is to recruit Luke to help him overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy together. At this point, the Emperor doesn't know this is his secret plan ... the Emperor thinks Luke is Anakin Skywalker's son. He doesn't realize that Luke is actually Darth Vader's son - if he had known that, he would have force choked Darth to death during his remote call. I feel like no one appreciates the writing in ESB because they have forgotten the original meaning of it. It's so ironic, because Darth Vader's most famous line is pretty clear in its emphasis: "No. **I** am your father." But people misremember it, because it doesn't fit what they think they know (that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are the same person, which was only the case with RotJ onward). The emphasis is important, because Darth Vader isn't denying that he killed Anakin Skywalker. He's correcting Luke's mistaken idea of which one of them is his biological father. Sigh ... everyone misremembers it as "No. I **am** your father," because that's the only way they can mentally make sense of it. In the process, they lose the experience of the movie's excellent writing. The scenes with Vader and the Emperor, and Vader and Luke ... they are particularly designed for multiple viewings with great writing with multiple layers of meaning. When they made the first Star Wars movie, no one knew that people would rewatch it multiple times. But they knew for the sequel, so they wrote it to reveal layers of meaning with multiple rewatches.

[@thebavariansidonithano9050]

Shouldn't that mean everything?

[@tomlichnofsky.7048]

The Best STAR WARS Movie!! 😎✊👊🍁♈

[@Blinkptx]

It's probably my 8th favorite of the franchise.

[@arttus1287]

Episode 1 next? :)

[@SonicTimewarp]

You using the Machete order? He’ll probably be doing them in release order so episode 6 next.

[@dukeon]

Episode 1 sucks

[@arttus1287]

@@dukeon Sure, valid opinion. I like it though.

[@Yakkymania]

there’s nothing to love about episode one other than qui gon & maul though

[@arttus1287]

@@Yakkymania Yeah! Qui-Gon and Maul are awesome. But are you sure that those characters are the only good things TPM has to offer? Don't you like the soundtrack, Duel of The Fates? What about podracing? The visual design and sound design in that scene rocks. Sure, TPM is flawed. At some parts even bad. But I just want to point out that it still has a lot of good things to appreciate.

[@sokolum]

Remember when Ben said to Yoda when Luke left the planet: “That boy is our last hope”. Yoda replied: “There is another”. He can’t be mentioning Lea. That other, who could it be, Grogu, Ashoka, Ezra or was it Rey?

[@andrewmurray1550]

well, he DID mean Leia.

[@Hey_Rollie]

Yoda did mean Leia was the other hope because he wanted to train her rather than Luke. It was in the canon book "From A Certain Point of View"

[@decadebird]

How can you pack it into a 27 minute video? 😂

[@nathandickson2157]

👍🏻

[@arandomperson7713]

👍🏻

[@cotopaximusic]

👍

[@thedaimyofett6891]

👍

[@marshamoseley5878]

It's interesting that ESB was not universally praised by critics or viewers when it was released. Time and nostalgia have really changed perceptions.

[@EChacon]

Says the individual who is rude at me.

[@CrazyPlatinum92]

Rip 2010/2023

[@johnprince5931]

I challenge anybody to tell me what the plot to this movie is. I've loved it all my life but it has absolutely no plot.

[@notrixamoris3318]

Empire strikes back is different just like the last jedi...

[@notrixamoris3318]

@@Lungorthin666 facts are facts bruh...

[@myriadmediamusings]

Which does make me wonder how things would be if Empire released today. One could argue that TESB and TLJ arent really all that different in challenging the viewers, to the point that the only difference was that the Internet as we know it didnt exist in 1980 and give a voice to the critical ones.

[@TheCosmicNemesis]

@@myriadmediamusings empire would mostly be hated today

[@thebavariansidonithano9050]

@@TheCosmicNemesis I don't think, because it's not made by Disney.

[@issiahsilva]

Don’t insult Empire by mentioning it in the same sentence as that trash

[@JediKnight207]

I prefer Return of the Jedi.

[@DefaultProphet]

I watched this again recently with clear eyes and…it’s not great. All of the dialogue is one liners and the timeline makes no sense and the pacing is /awful/. I know that’s blasphemy but empire is my least favorite of the original trilogy